Suvendu Adhikari takes U-TURN on Dec deadlines for ending TMC's rule, says BJP to form govt in next Bengal polls

Kanthi: After making multiple claims about major threats looming on the TMC government in December, senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday, in a U-turn, said his party would never poach opposition MLAs and wait for the next election to seize power in the state. Adhikari, the leader of opposition in Bengal Assembly, however, insisted that the BJP, if elected to power, would make way for "bulldozer politics" in the state, taking a dig at the TMC, which had indicated the same on Tuesday, taking exception to a remark by BJP's Agnimitra Paul. December assumed significance on Bengal's political landscape after Adhikari and several other BJP leaders repeatedly stressed that the TMC government would cease to exist by the end of the year. The Nandigram MLA had also listed three dates -- December 12, 14 and 21 -- and asked people to watch out for significant political developments in West Bengal.

Adhikari, addressing a rally here, said on Wednesday, "I had listed three dates, but did I ever say that we (BJP-led Centre) would be dismissing the government in the state? We would never do anything to poach TMC MLAs. The BJP will win elections and form government in the state."

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Adhikari, taking a jibe at TMC's reference to bulldozer politics the day before, said his party would ensure that such practices make their way to the eastern state from Uttar Pradesh. "We will form a nationalist government in Bengal, just like Uttar Pradesh, and then use bulldozers in this state, too," he said.

'Bulldozer politics' had become an oft-repeated phrase in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh polls earlier this year, with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav frequently referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as 'bulldozer baba' over his directions to raze alleged illegal properties of criminals.

BJP leader Agnimitra Paul on Tuesday said that homes of people involved in a housing scam should be bulldozed, drawing sharp reactions from the TMC, which noted that the saffron camp was trying to import 'bulldozer politics' from UP.

Responding to Adhikari's change of stance on Wednesday, TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the Nandigram MLA and other BJP leaders should apologise to people for "misleading them". "These leaders lack credibility and only try to mislead others through their statements," Ghosh added.